When Debbie Brannon and her husband Dale looked to move to Chandler from Deer Creek 10 years ago, they saw several places. Most were down long country roads and far removed from town. They wanted something closer, especially to the turnpike entrance, since Dale works at OU Medical Center.
When she first came across the property they now call home, despite the fact it was right down the road from the turnpike on Highway 18, she didn’t seriously think they would buy it. The house wasn’t quite what they wanted and it came with a lot more land than they were considering. It was also at the top of their budget.
Lastly, it came with two train cabooses at the front of the property near the gate. An odd but cool addition that Debbie said they both knew would be a money pit.
“I sent him this house as a joke. I’m like, ‘Here you go’,” she said with a laugh. “But my husband wanted it so bad. He’s like, ‘It’s perfect.’” Years later, while the couple has dropped a fair amount into fixing up and maintaining the cabooses, the cars, along with the many acres of land, have brought a wealth of fun experiences for their family, from cousin camps to reunions, a plethora of animals, and even a small summer camp run by her triplet daughters, Annie, Leah and Jessie.
But now they’re empty nesters, Debbie said they’re hoping to finally fulfill their plans of turning the cabooses into AirBnbs.
The previous property owner purchased the train cars in 2013 from a woman who used them as a bed and breakfast on Northwest Expressway, Debbie said. They were damaged by a tornado, and the woman didn’t want to repair them. The intention was to open them as a bed and breakfast in Chandler.
When the Brannons purchased the property a year later, they initially had the same plan. Debbie said the previous owner set up electricity and septic, though it only ran to one of the cabooses. He also had them repainted. When they moved in, the Brannons built wheelchair ramps so Dale, who is a quadriplegic, could access them. They also repainted both of them again.
The red caboose fares a bit better.
It has hot water, a kitchenette and a TV. It’s already set up as a cozy AirBnB with a bed and homey furnishings, though they plan to install WiFi and get a nicer TV. Debbie said most of the work they initially did was on the yellow caboose, which was more damaged. However, a lot of the work will need to be redone.
They also have a large cattle guard that they plan to install to keep their small herd of just under 20 longhorn cattle and three donkeys at a safe distance. The goal is to have the cabooses ready for business by summer, especially during Alumni Weekend.
“We just have to do it. That’s our- that’s my deal. I just have to do it. My husband keeps bugging me. Let’s get this done,” Debbie said.
Even with this new venture, the cabooses are full of fond memories for the family. Debbie said it became a gathering place for the triplets and their friends. When the girls were in high school, they would host bonfires after football games. For Halloween, they would put together a haunted trail and cabooses with the help of friends. The girls used them for Polar Express parties, where they would have a sleepover in the red caboose and watch the movie with their friends.
They were even the site of Camp Copperhead, a small summer camp that the triplets hosted for three or four summers. Debbie said the idea came from her sister, but once the girls heard it, they took off running.
“We just went with it, and it turned out to be a huge success and super fun for my girls and for the kids in the community,” she said.
They would host several sessions over the summer, attracting not only local children but also those from Oklahoma City and Edmond.
They consisted of classic summer camp activities like water games, arts and crafts, and more. With the triplets off at university, they haven’t done the camp recently, though Debbie said there is a chance it could come back if her daughters have time and energy.